Automobile cigarette case



May 27, 1952 J. J. HELLMAN AUTOMOBILE CIGARETTE CASE Filed Nov. 7, 1949 Jacob J. Hellman INVENTOR.

BY WW 3M Patented May 27 1952 fUNlTED STATESPATENT OFFICE Jacob J. Hellman, Atlanta, Ga.

Application November 7, 1949, Serial No. 125,949

2 Claims.

- a 1 The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a cigarette holding and ejecting case which is especially, but not necessarily, adapted to be removably installed and used in an automobile or equivalent conveycigarettes are or are not on hand for use, whereby to especially adapt the device for use by the driver of an automobile who, when the car is in motion, is virtually compelled to keep his eyes pinned on the road at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide (,20

of cigarettes, only to jeopardize himself and others riding in his car.

Y A still further object of the invention is to provide acigarette case which includes a main compartment or holder for the principal supply of cigarettes and an-auxiliary compartment or holder for a reserve supply of cigarettes.

Another object of the invention is to provide main and auxiliary compartments defined by a partition fixed so that the cigarettes in the auxiliary compartment are normally held up and out of the way but are susceptible of being released by a simple trip-latch and allowed to gravitate into a receiver therefor situated at the lower end of the main compartment.

Then, too, it is an object of the invention to employ novel projectile-type ejector means for single-handed control having a spring returned trigger for the index finger which means delivers an end portion of the cigarette by way of a door closed discharge opening so that the cigarette may be grasped, with the same hand, and removed with safety and facility.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple and practical structural arrangement of parts which serves to provide efficient 2 v ways and means whereby the cigarette case may be detachably and properly mounted on suitable adapter means on a sun visor, or, alternatively, on the parting strip of a two-part windshield or other convenient support.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure l is a perspective view of an ejecting and dispensing type cigarette case, with a portion broken away, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a face elevational view of same with portions broken away and appearing in section.

Figure 3 is a vertical; section on the irregular line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how cigarettes are rendered available and are allowed to be discharged from the auxiliary chamber into the main chamber.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Figure 2. looking in the direction of the arrows.

All of the essential elements or parts of the case are preferablymade from commercial plastics ofclear transparent properties. The, main case is substantially rectangular in form and is characterized by opposite walls 8 and 9 joined together in case forming relationship by endor connective walls It and II. There is a smaller and shorter wall I2 which serves to define a suitably reduced depository or receiver I3 into which the cigarettes are dropped for one-by-one delivery to the user. The lower end portion of wall 9 is curved, as at M, to provide a chute for delivering a reserve supply of cigarettes into said receiver. End wallsv I0 and H are interiorly grooved to accommodate a fixed partition l5 and said partition coacts with all four walls and de fines a primary compartment [6 for a main sup-: ply of cigarettes I! and, in addition, defines a secondary or auxiliary compartment [8 to accommodate cigarettes l9, which constitute the reserve pp y- AS brought out in Figure 5, a slot 20 is provided and this allows the cigarettes I9 to gravitate from compartment H3 into the receiver l3. As shown in Figure 4, one end of the receiver I3 is provided with a discharge 3 i. opening 2| through which cigarettes are ejected one at a time for use.

The ejector means comprises a flat rectangular slide or plate 22 which is suitably keyed for sliding movement in said receiver l3. .On its bottom said plate is provided with a rigid finger-piece 23 which is operable by the index finger. This finger-piece projects through a clearance slot in the bottom wall of the receiver and slides back and forth on an adapter rod or guide '24 carried by a fixed lug '25. The rod as shown best in Figure 3 is provided with a shoulder forming head 26 and a coiled spring 21 surrounds the rod between the head and finger-piece 23.

The numeral 29 denotes a trap-like closure for the discharge opening 2|. Said closure takes the form of a substantially rectangular plate which has its lower end bifurcated. The notch thus provided is denoted at 30 and the *furcations are denoted by the numerals 3| and 32 respectively. Fur-cations '31 and 32 straddle and are hingedly attached as at 33, to a'downturned projection 34 on the 'outer end of the manually controllable ejector plate 22. Closure plate 29 is so balanced that it automatically swings to a down position, the position shown in Figure 2, under the forces of gravity. Therefore, when the ejector slide 22 is projected to the position shown in Figure 2 it is obvious that the closure plate will drop down to the horizontal position here shown and will be momentarily pressed and held down until the cigarette is grasped and removed. When the fingerpiece23 is released the spring will return it to its normal position and in so doing the returning action of the ejector plate 22 into the receiver i3 will cause the downturned tipends of the furcations 3i and 32 to ride into contact with and fulcrum against the adjacent end wall l0,'whereby to automatically trip and snap said closure plate 29 back to its normal closing position. As previously stated, these projecting and cigarette removing steps are accomplished,

after a little practice, with the right hand alone. The wall '8, as shown in Figures 3 and 6 is provided with appropriate undercut ribs 35 which constitute appropriate attaching members.

In fact, these members maybe referred to as keying ribs, the same being adapted to be slidably and releasably mounted in suitable supporting fixtures (not shown) provided therefor on the sun visor in front of the driver, on the windshield, on a desk, or wherever desired.

My cigarette holding case is, of course, primarily adapted to be used in an automobile and is intended to be mounted at a convenient place within reach of the driver of the automobile.

So arranged, the driver may, with a single hand, place .the index finger on the finger-piece 23 and, by moving the finger-piece against spring tension and in a direction toward the left, the slide '22,

which is carried by the finger-piece, will be projected through the discharge opening .21. The inner end of the slide has an upstandingfollower 36 '(see Figure 2) and this, obviously, serves to push the cigarettes through the discharge opening one at a time. As before-explained, once the slide 22 is projected to the position shown in Figure 2, the closure plate, or trap door, as it is sometimes called, drops down automatically to a horizontal out-of-the-way position and permits the cigarette, which overlies and holds the trapdoor down, to be readily grasped and removed. As soon as the finger-piece 23 is released, the spring means 2'! obviously serves to return the parts to the normal closed position, shown in Figure 1.

It will be clear that, after the main supply of cigarettes I1 is exhausted one-by-one from compartment l6, those, IS, in the reserve compartment IE will be available for use. Normally, however, cigarettes l3 are held up and in place by an L-shaped trip-latch 3'! slidable in fixed guide 38. Thus, by pulling down on latch 37 until it strikes the fixed stop 39, the slot 29 is then open. Then, the cigarettes 19 roll down the chute l4, pass through the slot 29 and drop into the receiver. Trip-latch 31 may remain down until it is time to refill both compartments again.

If desired, the upper open ends of the compartments l6 and 18 may be, and preferably are, closed. This isqaccomplished by providing a hingedly mounted lid 48 having a downturned "friction-held finger-grip M at its unattached end.

illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sufficient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to i actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, whatis claimed as new is:

l. A cigarette holding and dispensing container comprising a case having a receiver, .a slide plate mounted for operation in said receiver, said case being provided at one end of the receiver with a cigarette discharge opening, the adjacent end of said ejector plate being extensible and retractable in relation to said discharge opening, means for projecting and retracting said plate, and a gravity openable closing plate for said discharge opening, said plate being bifurcated at one end, the furcations thus provided being pivotally mounted on the extensible end of said plate, said furcations constituting plate closing fingers when forcibly brought into end thrust fulcruming contact with the coacting end ofsaid receiver.

2. A cigarette holding and dispensing container comprising a case having a cigarette receiver, an ejector plate slidably mounted for operation in said receiver, said case being provided at the 'discharge end of the receiver with a cigarette discharge opening, the adjacent end of said ejector plate being adapted to be projected -through and beyond said discharge opening, manually operlying the furcations when the closing plate is open to maintain the closing plate in a plane substan- 'tially level with the level of the ejector plate,

ejector plate is returned to its normal position, 5

said cams contact the receiver and automaticallv lift and right the closing plate to its normal closing position.

JACOB J. HELLMAN.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Dove June 11, 1907 Goldstein Nov. 11, 1913 Kanai Sent. 24. 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 16, 1931 

